Prom dress policing tough on kids and parents

By Kelly Wallace, CNN

Updated 9:17 AM ET, Thu May 15, 2014

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – In May 2014, a Richmond, Virginia, teen attending a homeschool prom said she was kicked out because her dress was too short. The teen said the dress was longer than her fingertips, as required by the dress code. She was told that parents complained her attire would lead boys at the dance "to think impure thoughts," she said. The teen's blog post about the prom went viral.

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – Brittany Minder was sent home from the 2013 Central Kitsap High School prom in Silverdale, Washington, because her dress did not cover her cleavage. She and her parents feel she was singled out by school administrators because she has a naturally large chest.

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – A year after they were sent home from the L.W. Higgins High School prom in Marrero, Louisiana, about two dozen students and their parents sued the school over its dress code, claiming it was discriminatory and violated state and federal laws. The girls were turned away from the prom for wearing dresses that did not cover their cleavage.

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – Constance McMillen, seen here at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in 2010, wanted to take her girlfriend to the Itawamba Agricultural High School prom in Fulton, Mississippi, and she wanted to wear a tux to the dance. In reaction to McMillen, the high school canceled its 2010 prom.

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – Kevin Logan posed for this photo immediately after being barred from the 2006 West Side High School prom in Hobart, Indiana. The gay teen began wearing women's clothes to school at the start of his senior year. The school maintained it turned Logan away from prom because of its dress code, not because of his sexuality.

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – Jacqueline Duty's Confederate flag-themed prom dress got her barred from the 2004 Russell High School prom in Kentucky. She filed a federal lawsuit against the Russell Independent Board of Education.

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – William Carruba asked his school board on March 27, 2012, why he wasn't allowed to wear a kilt made of his family's Scottish-heritage tartan to the Granite City High School prom in Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. He was denied again: The kilt was called "nontraditional" by officials, who said it didn't fit into the district's dress code.

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Photos:You can't wear that to the prom

You can't wear that to the prom – Omar Bonilla ran for prom queen at Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines, Florida, in 2010. He was ranked in the top three finalists, but school officials told Bonilla he couldn't wear a gown to the prom because they worried for his safety.

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Story highlights

A teen says she was kicked out of prom for a too-short dress and suggestive dancing

She says she wasn't dancing and her dress complied with the prom's dress code

The case illustrates concerns of some parents who think dress options are too short and skimpy

Best advice for parents? Be ready to compromise and let your expectations be known

Just when you thought you'd heard everything.

A 17-year-old high school senior who was attending a prom for homeschoolers this weekend near Richmond, Virginia, got kicked out, she says, because she was told her dress was too short.

Some of the dads who were chaperoning the prom had complained that her dancing "was too provocative" and that she was going to "cause the young men at the prom to think impure thoughts."

Really? That isn't much of a stretch from "she asked for it" when we blame victims of sexual assault for what they were wearing. Are the thoughts and actions of young men and their fathers really her responsibility?

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CNN affiliate WTVR reached out to the organizers of the prom, who provided the following response: "The Richmond Homeschool Prom has been a part of a long and wonderful tradition in the Richmond area for over 8 years. The prom is an opportunity to provide over 500 young adults from all over the Richmond area and surrounding counties with a prom. We regret that any individuals were dissatisfied with their experience this year."

The case, while outrageous on many levels, does illustrate the potent mix of prom angst this time of year with teenage girls shopping for the perfect dress, selections bordering on the wildly inappropriate to many parents, and a culture sexualizing girls at younger and younger ages.

Plenty of reasons to be anxious

Can I just say right here I'm already freaking out and my girls, 6 and 8, are years away from prom time?

"16, 17, 18-year-olds should not be in dresses with thigh-high slits, necklines that plunge precariously close to the belly button, backs that are cut so low as to expose butt dimples," said a mother named Judith on CNN's Facebook page. "Parents need to step in and stop this 'beyond the age' dressing."

In some cases, like the prom mentioned above in Virginia, schools are not leaving it up to the parents and are imposing their own dress codes for prom. Some are going to extra lengths to clarify what's acceptable.

One Northern California Catholic high school sent an e-mail to parents announcing that attire for junior and senior prom should "be moderate and reflect pride in both the person and the school."

The e-mail, obtained by CNN, included pictures of dresses deemed acceptable and those considered inappropriate. On the banned list were low-cut and backless dresses and dresses with very high hemlines.

Holly Manson, a mom of three teens in Oakland, Maine,doesn't think dress codes are the answer. "I know the town over from us requires that their dresses have a strap," she said with a laugh. "It has to have a strap, but it's OK if it comes up to their butt cheek."

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According to the teen who says she was booted from prom in Virginia, her gown met the prom's dress code, which called for dresses "fingertip length or longer."

That means the dress must be longer than your fingertips once you have your hands at your side. At 5' 9," she said, dresses might look shorter on her than on other girls. As for the "provocative" dance moves, she added that she hadn't been dancing at all.

"Enough with the slut shaming," Clare wrote in her post. "I'm not responsible for some perverted 45 year old dad lusting after me because I have a sparkly dress on."

"And if you think I am, then maybe you're part of the problem."

Boys don't have many variations on the traditional tux to choose from when planning prom attire, so they typically don't have to deal with the harsh judgment and disrespect that girls such as Clare face because of their clothing choices.

But when kids dress in ways that are gender nonconforming, or even when a boy wants to wear a kilt, it doesn't always go over well with school administrators either.

Parents and teens: Not enough choices

Another frustration I heard from parents and even some teens is that there just aren't enough moderate options -- both in terms of sexiness and price -- available in stores and online.

"I would say the problem is ... that a girl who has sort of a more modern taste ... if (the dresses) are for someone her age, they're too short. They're shorter than they should be," said a mom of two teens, who said it can be extra difficult for tall girls or girls of different body types to find dresses schools deem appropriate.

Dresses can also cost hundreds of dollars, which most parents either can't pay or won't pay, she added.

CNN's Kelly Wallace, a mom of two elementary school age girls, is already freaking out about prom dress shopping.

"There literally is something for everyone, for every body type, for any kind of school regulation, if you have rules or dress codes, anything like that," said Jasmine Snow, accessories editor for Seventeen. "I think it's just about finding the right resources," she said, suggesting Seventeen's dress guide, which includes many style options.

The key, says Snow, is for a girl to find a dress she'll feel good and confident wearing. "It also has to be something that your parents feel good about having you wear as well, and I think it's about having that compromise between the parent and the teenager."

So many parents, this reporter among them, are concerned about how our girls are growing up so much faster than when we were kids. Clearly, we can't blame prom dresses as the single cause, but they're a factor.

"Clothing definitely plays a role in the sexualization of our girls, so from prom dresses to starter bras to shorts, I believe we need to show our girls a broader range of options so they can choose the style that works for them," said Sharon Choksi, a mom of two in Austin, Texas, who got so fed up with the "short shorts" and "teeny bikinis" she started her own clothing company, Girls Will Be.

"Girls today receive so many messages that they should focus on their appearance and act more grown-up. I don't want my daughter thinking that is what is most important and is how people will value her," said Choksi.

What happens when you put your fears aside

Not every parent considers shopping for a teenage daughter's prom dress about as welcome as, let's say, a root canal, doing taxes or cleaning the bathroom.

She credits her happy experiences with planning (they shop for dresses very far in advance) and plain luck. Her daughter has kind of a retro style and doesn't gravitate to the provocative stuff, said Clark, who hosts a blog in her own name and contributes photographs to the collaborative blog Shutter Sisters.

Tracey Clark took this photo during a dress shopping outing with her daughter Julia.